South Africa Vs Cameroon: AFCON 2025 Round of 16 Preview

South Africa and Cameroon will face each other in the Round of 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, January 4. The match will kick off at 8:00 pm local time at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat.

This will be only the second time the two teams meet at AFCON. Their first meeting was in 1996, when hosts South Africa defeated Cameroon 3-0 on their way to winning the tournament.

Since then, both sides have played each other eight times in friendlies and AFCON qualifiers. South Africa have won three matches, Cameroon have won one, while five games ended in draws.

South Africa reached the knockout stage after winning two group matches and losing one. They beat Angola 2-1 and Zimbabwe 3-2, but lost 1-0 to Egypt. It is the first time since 2000 that Bafana Bafana have won two group games at AFCON.

Coach Hugo Broos has relied on a settled team, using just 17 players so far. Lyle Foster and Oswin Appollis have been key in attack, while Ronwen Williams continues in goal. South Africa have no new injury concerns ahead of the match.

Cameroon qualified from Group D after beating Gabon, drawing with Côte d’Ivoire, and coming from behind to defeat Mozambique. The win over Mozambique secured their fifth straight appearance in the knockout stage.

The Indomitable Lions have scored in all three group matches but managed only four goals in total. Defensively, they have been solid, conceding just two goals in the group stage. Goalkeeper Dévis Epassy is the only player to have played every minute so far.

Historically, meetings between both teams have been close, with the last three matches ending in draws. Cameroon coach Hugo Broos also knows the Lions well, having led them to AFCON glory in 2017.

With both teams evenly matched and strong defensively, a tight contest is expected, with the possibility of extra time or penalties.

Prediction: South Africa 1–1 Cameroon